It is said that the victor (of a war) writes the history.  I can’t think of anywhere this is more true than here in these United States.  Abraham Lincoln and his cronies claimed we were not a separate nation here in the South, but made war on us as though we were, pillaged our cities, raped our land, killed thousands of our people (and his), and expended vast amounts of money – not over slavery, as is commonly claimed, but over money and power.

Does this sound unfamiliar?  Perhaps even crazy?  That’s because the victor writes the history.  Most of us attended schools controlled by the very government with a vested interest in training us to believe Abraham Lincoln fought a just war over the evils of slavery (especially since much of the centralization that so increased their power was his doing).  Particularly during Reconstruction, a concerted effort was made to teach the history they way they [the U.S. government] wanted it taught.

Fortunately, some of us have since learned better.  As we prepare to study the “Civil War” in our homeschool this year, I went in search of a South-friendly book for children.  I want my daughters to learn the truth about the unnecessary, unjust war Lincoln waged, and the truth about their heritage as Southerners (which has nothing to do with supporting slavery or hating someone because of the color of his skin).  I’ve read some good historical material, but it was all very scholarly (relatively speaking) and not well-suited to elementary schoolers.  I was delighted to find a new book by Lochlainn Seabrook specifically for elementary-aged children.

Honest Jeff & Dishonest Abe: A Southern Children’s Guide to the Civil War is absolutely fabulous!  It includes many of the facts you’ll find in the more scholarly works, but the wording is very accessible.  Seabrook wrote it for second- to sixth-graders, but I will be reading it aloud with my children, for the benefit of the kindergartener, as well.  And if you’re an adult, it’s a great way to learn the real story of Lincoln’s War without wading through the harder-to-read historical tomes.

Chapters/sections provide overviews of the major battles; discuss the issues that led up to the war; tell of a soldier’s life; peek into the lives of Lincoln, Davis, and Lee; and more.

I find myself wishing I could post the whole book to Facebook, a sentence or a paragraph at a time!  This is so important.  “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” – and so many of our citizens don’t even know it.  Do yourself (and your fellow citizens) a favor, and buy this book!  (Recommending it to your library wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.)

Disclosure: I was provided by the publisher with a copy of the book to facilitate my review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.